Roll Call: Recent noteworthy votes in Michigan Legislature

Monday

Senate Bill 87, Don't eliminate Menominee county judgeship: Passed 105 to 0 in the House

To retain a district court judge in the 95th-A District Court in Menominee county. Under current law, this position will end with the retirement of the current judge, leaving the probate judge for Menominee County to serve as district judge this district.

According to committee testimony, there has been a 60 percent increase in criminal case filings in the county since the law eliminating this judgeship was passed in 2012, many related to drugs, and the bill could result in creating a drug treatment specialty court serving Menominee and adjacent counties. Fiscal agency analysis indicates the bill would cost the state $159,342.

Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Park Township, Yes

Rep. Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland, Yes

Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, Yes

House Bill 4244, Authorize land acquisition and recreation projects: Passed 105 to 0 in the House

To appropriate $26.0 million from the state's Natural Resources Trust Fund for state and local land acquisitions and recreation development projects. When local matching funds are included this will result in $18.0 million in new recreation development and $24.0 in land acquisitions.

To make stealing mail or packages left in or near a person’s mailbox a crime, with penalties of up to one year in jail and a $500 fine for a first offense, up to five years in prison and $1,000 for a second offense, and 10 years and $2,000 for subsequent convictions.

Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, Yes

Sen. Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville, Yes

House Bill 4001: Require conviction for property forfeiture: Passed 107 to 3 in the House

To establish that property seized from a person because it may be associated with a suspected drug-related crime is not subject to “civil asset forfeiture” unless the individual is actually convicted or accepts a plea bargain. This would not apply to police seizures of property worth $50,000 or more. Forfeiture is a legal process by which a government agency (usually police or prosecutors) acquires permanent ownership of property seized by police. House Bill 4002 prescribes specific procedures, notice requirements, deadlines and more.

To disapprove Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order No. 2019-02, which reorganizes and renames the state Department of Environmental Quality (henceforth the "Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy"), creates several new bureaus within the department, and abolishes three other bureaus created by legislation enacted in 2018 and signed by former Gov. Rick Snyder.

The abolished entities are an environmental rules review committee tasked with assessing the reasonableness of new environmental regulations; an environmental permit appeal panel to review permit-related grievances from individuals and business; and an environmental science advisory board to advise the governor on environmental issues.

An executive order has the force of law unless it is disapproved within 60 days by a majority of those elected and serving in both the House and Senate. Both bodies have now done so, thereby halting the executive order.

To establish that property seized from a person because it may be associated with a suspected drug-related crime is not subject to “civil asset forfeiture” unless the individual is actually convicted or accepts a plea bargain. This would not apply to police seizures of property worth $50,000 or more. The bill also authorizes a process allowing individuals who have lower value property seized to just give it up, and revises procedural details for reimbursement claims by a person with an ownership interest in the seized property (for example the issuer of a vehicle loan).

Nesbitt, Yes

Victory, Yes

— MichiganVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, non-partisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Please visit MichiganVotes.org.

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